Mary Wilson, editor of the Jackson County Advocate newspaper, grew up in the Grandview, Missouri community. She currently serves as Treasurer for the Missouri Press Association, immediate past president of the Grandview Main Street, Inc., serves on the Board of Directors for the Kansas City Press Club, and works as a development coordinator for the Grandview Education Foundation. You can reach her at mwilson@jcadvocate.com, or follow her on twitter @MWilsonJCA.

Friday, July 31, 2015

Last May, developers announced plans for Gateway Village in Grandview, a $300 million all-turf soccer complex to call south Grandview home between Byars and Kelley roads. According to Shane Hackett, executive director of Heartland Soccer, the country’s largest soccer league, Heartland Soccer will be the main tenant of the complex and the development will consist of 240 acres of residential, commercial and retail.

"This is slated to be fifteen all-turf soccer fields," said Hackett. "This is the synthetic turf that you can currently see at the Overland Park Complex and Swope Soccer Village."

Within the last few weeks, a similar announcement came for our neighbors to the east. Paragon Star sports village and complex, a $200 million project, will be located at the intersection of View High Drive and I-470 in Lee’s Summit. This development will feature ten synthetically-turfed fields, including a championship field that will hold up to 5,000 spectators as well as office, hotel, housing, food and entertainment features. The initial phase of the project is estimated at $154 million, but total development costs are expected to exceed the $200 million price tag upon completion.

Paragon Star’s anchor tenant will be the KC Select Soccer Club. Developer Phillip "Flip" Short said the 100-plus acre project is intended for visitors to have an experience unlike any other in the United States.

"We’ve indicated from the on-set of this project that we were going to make it the country’s number-one amateur field sports facility and it truly will serve as a model of excellence," said Short.

A bold statement, considering six miles to the southwest will be Grandview’s Gateway Village. However, continuing with the spirit of the game, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone. Bring on the families, the fans and visitors to both locations. Visitors to our area will help the communities as a whole.

A mere 10 minutes apart, the projects are quite similar in their plans to bring more soccer options to southern Jackson County. Just this week, WalletHub ranked Kansas City seventh on their list of the best cities for soccer fans. Surely two new massive developments catering to soccer families won’t hurt that ranking.

Both projects have the potential to bring massive amounts of people to the area: people that will shop here, eat here and stay here. The goal should be, now, to find ways to get these visitors to venture out of the complexes and into our respective downtowns to visit local merchants and boost our economies even further.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

As a little girl, I loved spending time with my family. Not
just my immediate family, but grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and the
like. I have fond memories of getting together over holidays, or swimming in
the pool in my grandma and grandpa’s backyard while all the grown-ups sat
around and talked.

Most memorable for me, though, were the family reunions we’d
attend every few years with my dad’s extended family in Arkansas. My
great-grandma was still around for a few years of my childhood and the whole
family would meet at the farm house in Sardis, with my grandpa’s siblings and
their families in tow. My great-grandpa, before he passed away, was known for
his watermelon and sweet potatoes that he grew on that old farm south of Little
Rock.

By the time I visited as a kid, the farm’s heyday had
passed. I still found the whole experience fantastic. I remember being
completely terrified of the cows, but still wanting to get as close to them as
they’d allow. My great-uncle Kenneth and his wife Barbara (a real-life Barbie
and Ken to my six-year-old self) lived in a house next door to the old
farmhouse and I remember borrowing great-aunt Ruby’s swimsuit to go play in
their hot tub. The suit was too long on my little body and the rear hung down
to my knees, but I was happy as could be to hang out at Barbie and Ken’s house.

It’s been several years since I’ve been back to the farm;
the last time was while I was in high school. I returned over the 4th
of July weekend with my parents and my son to a family reunion hosted by
distant cousins of my grandpa Rodney. Sadly, he passed away in 2013, but I’m
certain he was with us in spirit as we visited with family he grew up with.

I spent much of my time talking with my great-uncle Ken,
whose real-life Barbie died just a few months ago. He reminded me so much of my
grandpa and it was hard to not get a little emotional to see how much they look
alike. He couldn’t get over how “grown-up and beautiful” I am, and he held my
face in his hands and kissed my cheek, much like my grandpa always did.

The farmhouse has sat empty for some time now, but the
memories of family, food and bonding still remain. What once was a land full of
my great-grandpa’s sweat, blood and hard work is now acres and acres of green.
Walking up to the front door of the house, I still imagined my
great-grandmother’s petite frame welcoming us with a warm hug and something to
eat.

Unfortunately, this may have been the last time I’ll get to
see the old farmhouse, as the family continues to age and grow. I’m grateful my
son had a chance to see it and meet some of the people that make up his family,
a family that I hold so close to my heart.

This Independence Day, I celebrated my heritage, my family
and the memories I have spending time on the farm in Sardis, Arkansas.